WTF!?! Now they have blue keyboard. I didn't even know that RIM made a blue 88xx.
BlackBerry 8800/8830 OEM blue keyboard - US- Apple, Samsung, Mobiado, Motorola, LG, Microsoft, Dopod/O2, BlackBerry, Acer, Al
Hmmm.. blue on silver... for 10.00.. not sure if this combo would look good. But at least it will have blue on white keys!!! That you can read!!

Blue/Silver.. Somethings wrong with that combo, no? Why didn't they really screw with us and do something like hot pink or camo green for that matter.

I looked at the site for the parts. It doesn't mention that they come with a keyboard or the little plastic tool that they use to remove the sides. Were they in your package @$42.99?

Thanks

Steve

I try get the MCC and MNC values for the CDMA devices using SID,BID,NID but it does not return any correct values..


CDMA device MCC,MNC,LAC,CellId ..How i got these things ..


If any one know help me..


Thanks,
Praveen

I emailed CNN.com and asked when they would be offering the OEM black keypad for the 8800 and 8830 series Blackberry and they replied that the part was sold out and discontinued from RIM! What gives, do these guys have access to some information that we don't?

I just ordered it a week ago, the part is coming from Hong Kong. Should be here in a few days. We will see what I get.

A week ago the part was available on the companies website, but as of April 1, the part is no longer offered. Now they just offer a blue keypad. That's why I emailed them. I'm sure if you placed your order for the black keypad and the company had access to them you should be fine! I was just wondering why this company would say that RIM is discontinuing the part?

Keyboard just arrived! Another project for the weekend.

Let us (well, me) know how it goes. I got the keyboard on Weds but have not even thought too much (well, a little) about trying to dissect my 8830!!!

Wirelessly posted

I got my keyboard and housing yesterday. It took me about 45 mins to swap the case. All together it wasn't too difficult. I think the toughest part was removing the side rails, but once you understand how they fit then it's a breeze.

In response to an earlier poster, yes, the full casing kit comes with the special screwdriver and side rail removal tool.

I love the new look and personally I think the new keyboard has a better tactile reponse. The key travel isn't as long and mushy. It's shorter and crisper.
Too bad the keyboard is sold out, I'd recommend anyone to buy it!

I ordered my black US keyboard and shell on 3/20/2008 and received my order confirmation. As with others, $57.98 total with shipping. Well it arrived today and everything is in the box EXCEPT the black US keyboard! What gives? I have emailed cnn.cn, but I am sure it is the weekend there now. I don't want the black shell without the black keyboard! Any suggestions?

Received everything today including tools. Screw driver is too big. Thought I read something about that issue.

I replaced my keyboard with a black one from a old Sprint 8830 I had. Havent gotten brave enough yet to swap the whole case.

Screwdriver was fine. Just needed to get the nerve to use it. Took a bit of pressure to get started. Change out went fine. ~ 15 minutes and watched the videos. Keypad seems fine! What a relief! Excellent modification, especially the keypad.

My screwdriver worked perfectly as did the pry bar. Now I have a new case, new keyboard, practically like a NEW 8830. I love this thing. Took about 25 minutes while watching T.V. and just remember it takes a bit of prying to get the side rails off, but go slowly and carefully and you can re-use them and have a fresh set "just in case". Don't forget the "EXTERIOR PROTECTANT"

I love my NEW 8830. And so do the people who asked "did you get a better BB?"

azerty keyboard time ;)

I have the complete BLACK package, never used, if anybody is lookng for one. Make offer. . I bought my 8830 from this forum from a guy moving to the curve. The BLACK package wasa peert of th deal. Never got around to installing it. Keyboard, front, back, and 2 side rails.

Took about 5 minutes. Just removed the 4 screws arouund the battery box, pried off the sides carefully from the bottom. The top has a little tape, so just go slow once you get there. From there I was able to lift the top case bottom edge up and slide the old keyboard out and put the new in. Reassembly is a snap.

Big improvement. I can read the keyboard now! I have a black skin on mine, so the black keyboard looks just fine.

Have the wrong size screw driver - I just took it out of its pyramid like Otterbox to check on the one I had - 6-size. No fit!!

According to the CNN site they include a 4 for 8830. Thought mine was too big when received but with a bit of pressure it worked fine.

Emailed you regarding your WTS post for this. LMK My son is jealous of my black case

I also got an e-mail back from CNN - black keyboards are in, limited quantities and are now selling for 9.99. I ordered keyboard and full case yesterday, notification of shipment this morning. I will post again when i get it (did the 4 day shipping upgrade - we'll see how long it sits in customs). I also found a black US keyboard on eBay, and got it for 3.99 + shipping, expected to be here in a couple weeks. That was my backup keyboard in case CNN didn't get any more in. All good - the extra may come in handy.

I ordered my case and keyboard this morning. Blue backlight on silver is hard to see.

Got the case and keyboard in, actually took 2 business days from order date to receive - with the upgraded shipping (4-day). The swap took about 10 minutes, sides even came off pretty easy. I agree with an earlier post that the top what the hardest to get off due to the adhesive up there. What a difference - it is like having a completely new phone. Like everyone else, I would totall recommend this to anyone with the silver 8830.

I ordered the black case and keyboard today. We'll see how it goes.

I installed my BLACK KEYBOARD yesterday. It went fine. The Black/white combo is so much more visible/readable. I am amazed that Verizon went the silver/blue route and I can't imagine who was doing their testing/acceptance.

you could do that if you really wanted from ebay

Ordered a case yesterday. I now realize that it does not include the plastic case opening tool. Did you get one or is it really needed? I have a Torx screwdriver.

I used a plastic citrus peeler. Those siderails are very firmly attached but I think if you can start an edge of a credit card or a cut up one into the "crack" near the bottom you might then be able to lever it out. A local hardware store might have some kind of plastic pry bar????

I have a citrus peeler. I had actually thought about that as a possibility. Thanks

Andyn,

Did you have to take the entire device apart to swap the keyboard? I just got the black keyboard today, but watching the video I'm not sure if I want to take the device completely apart to replace just the keyboard.

Do I have to do it that way? OR is there an easier way to replace only the keyboard?

To replace the keyboard. Remove the four screws around the battery and remove the side panels. Then swap the keyboard. Took me 5-10 minutes tops.

If you get far enough to swap the keyboard, the rest of the case is simple. Go for it - the silver 8830 with a black keyboard looks silly in my opinion. If you like it that way, then enjoy!

Actually I prefer the silver look much better. I just can't see the keys with the blue light. It's removing the side rails that I'm concerned with. If they are just stuck on with sticky tape will they remain on after being pried off.

The sticky tape only covers the top 25% of the side rails. The bottom is held on by the four screws under the battery cover. The top also snaps into the housing, so I think the tape is just there for good measure.

thanks. So, is it really that easy to swap out the keyboard?

Yep, take out the battery, then the four torx screws, then gently pry off the side rails starting at the bottom, trying not to bend them too much. Once those are off, the front housing will lift right up and you should be able to just slide the old keyboard out and the new one in.

I will post what I posted on another forum:

Well, since there are folks out there who might desperately want my BLACK keyboard, I figured it was about time to tackle the install and attach it firmly to my BB - therein making any theft more a grand larceny rather petite theft

I grabbed my keyboard, my citrus peeler, yes, my plastic citrus peeler (free for buying oranges a few years back) and my torx 5 driver and went about the surgery.

I rewatched the video (not the cnn one), stripped off the Otterbox case, removed the battery door (that can be one of the harder steps), battery and went after the four screws. Those little buggers are longer than expected. Went after those shiny silver siderails with the sharper end of the citrus peeler. First one did not budge. Went after the second, found the sweet spot and levered it away from the bottom and noticed where the screws engage. Decided that I could flex it just enough to free the lower portion of the front face. Went back to the other rail and it went easily. I then wedged two paper clips into the siderails to allow the front to also be flexed. (in walks my secretary, aghast at the dissection she is witnessing) The old silver keyboard was out and the new in quite quickly. Removed paper clips, snapped rails back in place, threaded the screws back into their tiny holes. Put battery in (asked secretary if I could borrow her phone which she found amusing). Fired it up. That hour glass spins forever.

(edited to add: I did not even remove the portion of the siderails where the sticky tape is located - only curved them slightly and used the paper clips (handy at my desk) to keep them away while the front face was lifted slightly from the bottom to allow the old keyboard to slip out and slip in the new one)

I do not know what Verizon was thinking when they went silver and blue. Who visually checked that combination out?

What a difference the BLACK KEYS and WHITE LIGHTS make in readability. Even without the lights it is easier to read.

In the Otterbox case, there are only two small areas at the lower left and lower right that still show silver. Altogether a bit starker in appearance but FINE.

If the keyboard or entire case is still available - go for it.

FF2,

Thanks for the blow by blow. I'll give it a try after I get the screw driver.

I received my new black BB 8830WE housing and keyboard from cnn.cn yesterday---I couldn't work up the courage to make the switch until tonight. My hands were actually sweating as I started the surgery.

I kept the cnn video going during the process, stopping it as I got through each step (or rewinding if I wanted to see something again). As everyone has said, it really wasn't difficult and even with the stop-and-go video, it only took about 20 minutes.

The hardest part was definitely the siderails. I don't know how I did it, but I completely mangled the plastic siderail remover tool. Shortly after I started removing the second siderail, the small curve at the top of the removing tool was completely gone (it was breaking off in small pieces along the way) so it didn't work anymore. I ended up using a small screwdriver, which put a few very small nicks towards the top of the siderails, but I reused the original siderails anyway---I'm keeping the new siderails in case I need them in the future.

The keyboard actually feels much better than the original, it gives a "crisper" feel. Just being able to read the keys is amazing and with the new black case, I feel like I have a new BB. I'll probably put an InvisibleShield on this weekend to keep my new black case nice and clean---fingerprints definitely show more on the black than the silver. For now, I slapped on an inexpensive screen protector and put the BB in a silicone skin.

Changing out the case is definitely doable, although I don't know if I would have had the courage to get the siderails off if other people hadn't described it so well in earlier posts.